Paddle-wheel construction for vessels



J. G. MYERS. WHEEL CONSTRUCTION FOR YESSELS. PPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1'3. 192;).

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

' PADDLE UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE.

I JOHN G. MYERS, OF BRADDOCK BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO LEN ILMYE OF BRADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

PADDLE-WHEEL CONSTRUCTION FOR VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M 15 1921 Application filed September It, 1920. Serial No. 409,963.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that 1, JOHN G. MYERS, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the borough of Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new, useful, and Improved Paddle-lVheel Construction for Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain new and useful improvements in paddle wheel construction for vessels.

The object which I have in view is the provision of a paddle wheel structure capable of developing a maximum of propulgive power and at the same time reducing to a minimum the friction and resistance of the buckets as they rise in and out of the water and pass through the air over the top of the wheel.

For the accomplishment'of these purposes, I have invented a paddle wheel structure wherein the buckets are mounted in such a manner that when they enter the water they assume a position substantially radial of the crank shaft or axis of rotation, maintaining such position until they approach the end of their propulsive movement when they .gradually shift into a position tangental to the axis of revolution, which latter position they maintain until they again approach the surface of the water.

Generally speaking, my improved paddle wheel construction is characterized by a pair of heads, preferably circular, rigidly mounted and spaced apart on the crank shaft, and between which heads the buckets are pivotally mounted, the pivotal axis being between the longitudinal center of gravity of the buckets and their inner edges, so that the buckets will tend to hang with their outer or water-engaging edges down. At or near the inner edge of the bucket each of its ends is provided with a spindle which engages and protrudes through a curved slot in the head, said slots being concentric with the correspondingcpivotal point and extending from the radial line of the head which passes through said pivotal point, to a point on the are described from the axis of the crank shaft which intersects said pivotal point. Thus the buckets are capable of swinging on their pivots from a position radial of the crank shaft to one tangental of the same, and vice versa.

tion they retain until again The outer protruding ends of'said spindles are provided with rollers or other antifriction members which are engaged by fixed trackways so positioned and contoured that the buckets are automatically extended substantially radially of the crank shaft as they approach the surface of the water or begin their propulsive action, maintaming such position until they begin to rise through the water at the backof the wheel when they gradually assume a position tangental of the crank shaft, which latter posiabout to begin the propulsive action.

a Novel features and construction of parts,

will appear from the following description. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a rear elevation of my improved paddle wheel, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same taken along the line IIII in Fig. 1,

the direction of forward or normal rotation being shown by the arrow a while the usual water line is shown by the dotted line b-b.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings:

A represents the crank shaft or other axial, power-driven member journaled in any suitable manner, such as in the housings BB. Rigidly mounted on the shaft A are two spaced apart preferably circular heads, C-C. 7

I have shown six buckets, D D D D, D and D, but it will be understood that the number of the paddles will vary with the size of the wheel and the amount of power and speed for which it is designed.

Between their longitudinal centers of gravity and their inner edges said buckets are provided at their ends with trunnions 1 which are journaled in bearings 2 in the heads, and nearer or adjacent to their inner edges the ends of the buckets are provided with opposed spindles 3 which work in and protrude through the curved slots f in the heads. Said slots are concentric with the corresponding bearings and extend from a. point on the radial lines of the head intersecting the corresponding bearings to a point on an are described radially of the head and insecting said bearings. Thus the buckets may be swung between a position radial and a position tangental of the crank shaft.

The protruding ends of the spindles 4 are provided with rollers or anti-friction members 5 adaEted to be engaged by fixed trackways .E.- which shift said splndles 7 toward the inner ends of the slots 3, thus causing the buckets to assume position radial of'the crank shaft as they enter the propulsive movement and maintain the same until they begin their ascent at the rear of the wheel, when by the contour of the track- Ways said buckets are gradually shifted into a position tangental of the wheel, which position said buckets automatically retain as they rise up and travel forwardly over the wheel. When the buckets again approach the propulsive position, through the influence of the trackways E--E, they again asrsume the tangental positions.

The trackways E-E are provided with gradual, inclined mouths or entrances 6 and exits 7. Said trackways are, preferably'not concentric with the crank shaft, so that, as

in the case of bucket D as a bucket begins to rise at the real, it moves toward a tangental position, thus preventing the lessening of its propulsive force, since it prevents the lessening of the angle of the buckets to the horizontal or the line of movement of trackways E-E to the housings BB.

It is evident that my improved paddle wheel enables me to reap the maximumof propulsive force from the movement of the buckets, the latter being maintained in the most effective positions until the zone of propulsive movement has been completely traversed, and thebuckets being lifted from the water in such manner that there is no appreciable lifting of the water or the creation of a rolling Wake which results in great power consumption without elfective value. The buckets are also carried through the air in the position which minimizes the resistance of the air, thus further reducing the loss of power.

That I desire to claim is:

'1. Ina paddle wheel construction, the combination of a pair of spaced heads adapted' to be power-rotated in unison, a plurality of buckets pivotally supported between said heads and surrounding the common axis of rotation, spindles extending from saidbuckets through slots in said heads concentric with the pivotal axes of the corresponding buckets, and" fixed trackways adapted to be engaged by said spindles to shift and maintain said buckets in positions substantially radialof said common axis of rotation during the propulsive movement of said buckets.

2. In a paddle wheel" construction, the combination of ajpair' of spaced heads adapted to be power-rotated in unison, a plurality of buckets pivotally supported between said heads and surrounding the common axls of rotation, the pivotal axes of sald buckets being ofiset from'their centers of gravity whereby said buckets tend'to maintain positions substantially 'tangental to said common axis of rotation, spindles extending from said buckets through slots in said heads concentric with the pivotal axes of the corresponding buckets, and fixed trackways adapted to be engaged by said movements of said buckets.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 11th day of Sept, 1920. V V r p v JOHN G. MYERS.

spindles to shift and maintain said buckets in positions substantially radial of said common axis of rotation during the propulsive 

